Berge



(No Model.)

J. P. ROBERGE.

GURD MILL.

Patented Sept. 6,1887.

IINrTEn STATES PATENT OEEicE.

JOSEPH PIERRE ROBERGE, OF WIOKHAM, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF YONE-HALF TO GEORGE ESDRAS ROBERGE, OF HOWARD, RHODE ISLAND.

CURB-MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent; No. 369,555, datedSeptember', 1887.

Application tiled September 22, 1886.

Serial No. 214.241. (Nt model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osEPH PIERRE Ro- BERGE, a citizen of Canada,residing at Wickham, in the county of Drummond, in the Province ofQuebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGurd-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is embodied in the curd-mill herein shown and described,and which is designed to facilitate the operation of disintegrating thecurd in the manufacture of cheese.

My curd-mill consists, mainly, of a frame traveling in the edges of thecurd-vat and carryinga hopper, into Which the curd is thrown and fromwhich it falls into a trough, whenceit is pressed by a reciprocatinghead through perforated plates -and afterward cut transversely byrevolving cutters, and the gates, gears, and other mechanism, Which arehereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which Figure lis a plan view ofthe mill as mounted upon the curd-vat.Portions of the hopperslope and the gear-cover are broken away to showthe gates and operating-levers located thereunder. Fig. 2 is a frontView of the mill and section through the vat. Fig. 3 is an end View ofthe mill alone. Fig. 4l is a section of the millon line :c x, Fig. 1.Fig. 5 is a plan view of the trough and the reciprocating head orplunger therein.

rlhe part lettered A is the curd-vat. It is an oblong rectangular panhaving on the edges of its two longer sides the toothed racks B, facingupward. The frame C of the curd-mill slides over the faces of the racksB, and has journaled in it the shaft a, on which are fixed thegear-pinions b, which engage in the racks B, and may be turned by thehand-crank c in 'order to move the mill over the vat.

D is a hopper carried on the frame C and opening into the trough E,which is immediately under the hopper. The ends of the trough aremade,prcferably, of metal, and have the perforations d, the purpose ofwhich will be explained further on. A shaft, F, in Which a crank, c, isformed, and on which the gearwheel G and the cylinder H are keyed, isjournaled in the frame C and is turned by the hand-cranky.

I is areciprocating-head lying in the trough E. It is pivoted to one endof and moved end- Wise through the trough by the lever g, Which Itpasses over the cylinder H and is provided at that point with a pinwhich projects down- Ward into a cam-groove, j, formed in the cylinder,and by which means a motion is given to the lever, which is communicatedto the gate J, causing it to slide alternately over and off from thetrough E. The gate J is coupled to the gate J by the lever K, which ispivoted centrally to the guide-bar a', which lies between the two gates,so that when one gate is advancing the other is receding. WVhen the headI is Withdrawn from either end of the trough, the gate over that part isalso drawn back and the curd is thereby allowed to fall from the hopperand lill that end of the trough. The gate then slides over that part ofthe trough, preventing the return of the curd up into the hopper, and atthe same time the head I is moved under the gate toward that end of thetrough and forces the curd out through the perforations d. vAs the jetsof the curd issue from these perforations they are met by the revolvingcutters or sharp-edged spokes b', which radiate from hubs c and d',keyed on the shaft e and are thereby divided into small fragments, asdesired. One of these sets of cutters is provided with a heavy rim, L.which, by its momentum, serves as a flywheel to the mill. The cutters bmay either have one of their angles brought to a cuttingedge, orsharp-edged blades may be attached to them for cutting off thecurd-jets, as above mentioned. Motion is given to thesel cutters by thegear-wheel G, which engages with the gear-pinion M on the shaft c.

From the above it will be seen that the turning of the hand-crank fgives motion to the reciprocating head I, the gates J J, and the cuttersb simultaneously.

When the mill is brought to the place on the curd-vat where it isdesired to work it, it is kept at that place by the pawl f locking thepinion b, which is engaged with the rack B. The pawl is prevented fromdropping too 1low by the stoppin g', which is xed in the mill-frame. Itis held down .when desired by the handle-button h,which may be turnedover it, and by these means the mill may be held steadily in its placewhile working.

N N are spouts placed under the cutters to catch the disintegrated curd.They are provided with the slide-boards 7c', which may be placed in thefront or rear sides of the spouts, according as it may be desired togather the curd from the rear or front of the mill A. Dividing-ridge lcovers the space between the two gates J and J v The machine abovedescribed is doubleended--that is to say, the head I works both ways andsupplies two sets of cutters; but it is evident that machines may bemade on the same principles as this one having only one set of cuttersand working in only one direction.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a curd-mill, the combination of afeed trough or box, rotary cutters at its two ends, an intermediatepressure-head,and mechanism for automatically reciprocating said head,whereby1 the curd is delivered to the two cutters alternately.

2. In a curd mill, the combination of a trough or receptacle, a cutterat its end, a reciprocating head within the trough to deliver the curdto the cutter,a movable gate or cover, and connections for automaticallymoving said gate, whereby the curd may be confined within the troughsubject to the pressure of the head and the gate automatically removedfor the admission of another charge of curd.

3. In a curd-mill, the combination'of the two rotary cutters, theintermediate trough, the reciprocating pressure-head in said trough, thetwo gates or covers arranged to close opposite ends of the trough, andmechanism, substantially as described, for operating said gatesalternately and in relation to the movements of the head, as described,

4. The combination, in a curd-mill, of a hopper, a trough into whichsaid hopper delivers, said trough having a perforated end, areciprocating head within the trough, a movable gate to open and closethe communication between the hopper and trough, and a cutter movablepast the ends of the trough, with suitable mechanism for operating saidparts, substantially as described, whereby the curd contained inquantity in the hopper may be delivered in successive charges into thetrough confined therein and forcibly delivered through its perforationsand subdivided in the course of its delivery by the cutters.

5. In a curd-inill, the combination of the frame C, hopper I), trough E,having in its ends the perforations d, the reciprocating head I, gates Jand J', and the cutters b', with the mechanism above described foroperating the same, substantially as shown, and for the pur pose setforth.

Signed at Wickham,this 20th day of August, A. D. 1886.

JOSEPH Pinnen RoBnRGn.

In presence 01- M. LEONARD, J. F. TOOMEY.

